Today, @Ripple announced the acquisition of Hidden Road for $1.25B, one of the largest deals ever in the crypto space. But the price tag isn’t what’s most important – it’s that this deal marks a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for crypto to access the largest and most trusted traditional markets, and vice versa. Prime brokers (along with other key functions historically managed by banks for the most part) like Hidden Road have proven themselves as *the* trusted intermediary for the largest hedge funds, market makers, OTC desks, quant traders and more. Ripple has been a customer of Hidden Road for years, and we know their breadth of expertise firsthand, clearing $3 TRILLION annually for 300+ of the top financial institutions globally. This is the capital and activity that will tap into XRP and the XRP Ledger’s bread-and-butter – instant, efficient, scalable and low cost movement of value. Instead of waiting for <24 hours to settle trades through fiat rails, Hidden Road will be using XRPL for clearing a portion of trades, and most consequentially, using RLUSD as collateral across its prime brokerage services, including cross-asset (crypto and traditional instrument) trades. With this deal and the backing of Ripple’s significant balance sheet, Hidden Road will exponentially expand its capacity to service its pipeline and become the largest non-bank prime broker globally. Ripple and Hidden Road combined are a generational leap forward, ready to truly bring the worlds of traditional and decentralized finance together. https://t.co/UYOOyQ21dG

In the largest study ever of crypto in the US, the @NatCryptoAssoc found that: - 21% of Americans hold crypto - 76% of them said it has a positive impact on their lives That's why orgs like the NCA are so important - spotlighting the practical, everyday use cases possible through crypto. Check out the full report:

This is it – the moment we’ve been waiting for. The SEC will drop its appeal – a resounding victory for Ripple, for crypto, every way you look at it. The future is bright. Let's build. https://t.co/7WsD0C92Cm

Some weeks feel like months in crypto...this was one of them. From the @WhiteHouse Crypto Summit to the @CFTC CEO Roundtable and the sheer amount of news announced (hooray for @NatCryptoAssoc!), it’s been quite a few days. There’s been a lot of talk about what this White House has and will prioritize with their crypto agenda - most importantly, regulatory clarity through Congressional action, as well as a BTC reserve & crypto stockpile, support for stablecoin innovation backed by US Treasuries, and more. I was extremely pleased to see the incredible support from this administration. It’s easy to get lost in some of the maxi-induced noise, but there’s so much more to this industry than the infighting and one coin versus another time-wasting rhetoric. We will – as we’ve always done -- continue to champion the need for a level playing field (and it was great to hear others in the room echo this as well!) and for the industry to come together to move much needed legislation forward in the US. An incredible THANK YOU to @realdonaldtrump for opening and welcoming us to the White House (amazing contrast to the the hostility of the Biden administration), @davidsacks47 and @BoHines for a truly historic Summit, and @carolinedpham for hosting us at the CFTC!

Ripple is proud to support the launch of the National Cryptocurrency Association (@NatCryptoAssoc). Over the last few years, crypto has catapulted to the mainstream. Today, 55 million Americans hold and use crypto, and many more are curious – where, when and how can I use this tech in my life? The National Cryptocurrency Association – a chain-agnostic, non-political, non-profit – is here to help by educating and raising awareness of all the utility that crypto technologies are bringing to real people, everyday. (The NCA is independent of Ripple, but we are proud to support) Learn more below:

I’ve said this before - the crypto industry will achieve our goals (and beyond), IF WE WORK TOGETHER. Appreciate the crypto President @realDonaldTrump’s vision of a govt digital asset reserve representative of the industry. Maximalism is the enemy of the industry’s progress. Glad to see POTUS recognizing we live in a multichain world and that we’re finally moving past Bill Hinman and the Biden administration's SEC’s very broken thinking. I will certainly continue to champion this while in Washington at the end of this week.